Great advice here. The other thing (at least from UK perspective, not sure if this applies in North America) is leaving ivy to grow as insects really appreciate its flowers when there's not much else flowering.
Ivy (English Ivy as it's known here) is quite widely used as an ornamental but it is highly invasive with few if any natural controls. At least where I live with several feet of winter snow and temperatures below -20C there is no winter benefit for flying insects 😉
I have been preaching this for years, but following it gets complicated fast, at least here at Puddock Hill, where we manage wildlife meadows as well as the gardens around the house.
The challenge comes from the meadows, which are threatened by invasive plants like multiflora rose, porcelainberry, Canada thistle, mugwort, and oriental bittersweet, to name a few. We undertake many strategies (except use of herbicides) to set back these invaders, but it's a constant battle, and one necessary tool is brush hogging in late winter or early spring. This has to negatively impact the insects hiding in the goldenrod etc.
What to do? I welcome advice on how to fine tune our methods.
Picture the kudzu you see in the South along the highways, overtopping trees, destroying everything in its path. This is what porcelainberry is now doing in the mid-Atlantic. Just letting it go is a recipe for ecological destruction. We screwed nature up. Now she needs our help.
Pretty much what we do ... Although you read about it happening, I confess I have not had abuse from neighbours but although quite a few say that they like what we have done by mostly leaving it to nature it is noticeable that very few put the mower away and try natural gardening for themselves.
Great advice here. The other thing (at least from UK perspective, not sure if this applies in North America) is leaving ivy to grow as insects really appreciate its flowers when there's not much else flowering.
Ivy (English Ivy as it's known here) is quite widely used as an ornamental but it is highly invasive with few if any natural controls. At least where I live with several feet of winter snow and temperatures below -20C there is no winter benefit for flying insects 😉
https://www.cmnmaps.ca/shim/atlases/invasivespecies/_private/englishivy.htm
I have been preaching this for years, but following it gets complicated fast, at least here at Puddock Hill, where we manage wildlife meadows as well as the gardens around the house.
The challenge comes from the meadows, which are threatened by invasive plants like multiflora rose, porcelainberry, Canada thistle, mugwort, and oriental bittersweet, to name a few. We undertake many strategies (except use of herbicides) to set back these invaders, but it's a constant battle, and one necessary tool is brush hogging in late winter or early spring. This has to negatively impact the insects hiding in the goldenrod etc.
What to do? I welcome advice on how to fine tune our methods.
Timely and informative -- thank you!
Thanks! Am saving this for future reference.
Picture the kudzu you see in the South along the highways, overtopping trees, destroying everything in its path. This is what porcelainberry is now doing in the mid-Atlantic. Just letting it go is a recipe for ecological destruction. We screwed nature up. Now she needs our help.
Pretty much what we do ... Although you read about it happening, I confess I have not had abuse from neighbours but although quite a few say that they like what we have done by mostly leaving it to nature it is noticeable that very few put the mower away and try natural gardening for themselves.